Back in 2010, when the Saucony Elite concept was conceived, the original plan was for these luxurious reinterpretations of classic silhouettes to be released exclusively through high-level Japanese retailers. Boy, were people unhappy to hear that. While Saucony Elite shoes, ultimately, did not end up exclusive to Japan, they remained rather difficult to come by.

We’re happy to say, even six years later, that the Bodega entry into the Saucony Elite series, the suede, colorblocked Shadow 5000 remains a coveted property. As part of our ongoing tenth anniversary celebrations, the cavernous Bodega vaults have been entered, a la Tomb Raiders or Indiana Jones, and combed through. Intrepid explorers have returned to the surface with the Saucony Elite Shadow 5000.

The good news is, the shoes look as good as ever. The bad news is, they’re still a limited release. They’ll be going back into our version of King Tut’s tomb when this is all over, and who knows when the next time we’ll pull them out will be? No one particularly likes going down there; it smells weird.